Estimating Agricultural and Forestry Residue Availability in Western Canada for Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage

Canada has substantial biomass resources that could support bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). However, bottom-up and spatially explicit estimates are lacking. This study estimates current/near-term agricultural and forestry residue availability for BECCS, accounting for competing uses, soil retention needs, technical constraints, and proximity to CCS infrastructure. Western Canada is considered due to its strong agricultural and forestry sectors and more developed CO2 storage capacity. High resolution and recent biomass inventories, constrained areas (e.g., protected, conservation), and infrastructure layers are integrated in ArcGIS Pro to evaluate scenarios ranging from theoretical maximum supply to more restrictive cases. Results show that wheat straw production in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba totals 47.Mt/year (dry), with 16 to 22.Mt/year available after constraints. Logging residues provide 2.Mt/year in these provinces, with 0.4 to 1.8.Mt/year available; including the province of British Columbia increases maximum logging residue production to 12.Mt/year (8 to 11.Mt/year available after constraints). However, when limited to areas near existing or near-term CCS infrastructure, wheat straw accessible for BECCS drops to 2 to 5.Mt/year. The study highlights how logistical, environmental, and infrastructure constraints substantially reduce BECCS potential compared with optimistic integrated assessment model assumptions, underscoring the need for realistic, context specific national assessments.